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Landholders to fund fire ant poison

Fire ants are a pest in the southern United States, China and Australia.

Romain Libbrecht, Yannick Wurm: ABC Science

The Queensland Government says any landholders wanting to kill fire ant nests themselves will have to buy their own poison.

The invasive stinging ants were first detected at the Port of Brisbane in 2001 and they've spread to last month be confirmed in the rich vegetable-growing region of the Lockyer Valley. Locals fear they'll spread to make fields too dangerous to work.

Agriculture Minister John McVeigh says the rules have been changed and now anyone can spray the ants.

However, he says landholders will have to pay for the chemicals which are readily available in hardware or rural stores.

Mr McVeigh says all suspect nests must still, by law, be reported to government.

Government officers will still be available to kill nests at no cost, but Mr McVeigh says the delay may be up to several days from when a fire ant infestation is confirmed.

While the change in regulation to allow landholders to undertake eradication work themselves was gazetted in December, the Department of Agriculture's website was not updated.